You've Lost Karma
by Rrazz
Summary: Having lost everything he cared about...Can the Lone Wanderer stay on the right path? Or has the Wasteland finally corruped the once noble soul? Rated T for adult content May change with later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

This is based off where i'm at in Fallout 3. Don't know why but i decided to write a brief story about, more or less how i thought my character felt at this point in time. I might continue this *Shrugs* Haven't decided yet. Not very good in my opinion, but eh, figured i'd upload anyway for the hell of it.

Please leave a comment/review if you read this.

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You've lost Karma: Chapter one

The faint sound of sirens did little to disturb the armoured figure leaning against the rocks outside Vault 101. The door was opening; again, not that she was surprised by that. It had been a good two, maybe three hours since the former *lone* wanderer vanished inside and told her to stay there, not that she complained.

A message had led him here. The paladin knew nothing about it, though it was obvious it was from someone he cared about, judging by how he dropped everything to get here as soon as possible.

The vault, she wasn't about to go in looking for him even when several hours passed. For one he'd made a convincing argument, no one from the outside had ever gone in, and her presence, Brotherhood of Steel soldier or not, wouldn't help whatever crisis that had brought them out here.

Finally, the door of the old wooden shack that disguised the location of the vault creaked open and the wanderer stumbled out, his face, and entire body hidden behind the power armour he wore. She knew not where he'd attained it from. But Elder Lyons had been content to give him permission to learn how to use it. So it wasn't her place to question things.

And besides, after everything he'd done for the Wasteland, he deserved something in return.

Megaton was safe along with a number of people he'd encountered in his travels. Hell everyone in the Wasteland knew his name and exploits, thanks to GNR radio broadcasting everything.

The question the paladin had planned to ask was forgotten when the wanderer tore his helmet off and tossed it into the sand next to him with a loud growl. He continued forwards until he reached the rocks leading down to the wastes and promptly collapsed onto them, his gaze never once shifting to her, but instead staying on the vast ruined landscape set out before them.

Cross paused for a moment, before moving forwards to stand next to him. "I take it, things didn't go well?" She asked quietly, her words carefully chosen. He was upset, it didn't take a genius to figure that out, and making things worse certainly wouldn't help matters.

For a long time, he said nothing. The only movements that were visible being the wind playing through his shoulder length black hair, and the subtle shifting of his armour as he breathed slowly, but heavily. "The crisis is over…" He finally mumbled, his voice calm, but there was an obvious tinge of frustration, and sadness behind them. "Amata is Overseer now and is planning to open the vault for good. Let people come and go as they please."

Cross arched an eyebrow at the teenagers words. Surely that was a good thing, right? "But?" She asked her voice still soft and calm as she awkwardly moved herself into a sitting position next to him.

Again, silence followed for a long time. "I'm not allowed back in…Ever again." He replied, the frustration evident in his tone now. "My *friend* got control of the vault, and her first act was banishing me forever…"

The paladin was caught off guard by that. And it was her turn to remain silent. Though ti wasn't long before the silence was broken once again. "You know. A month ago, when I stumbled out here to look for my dad. And I got my first look at this place. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy life out here."

He paused for a moment, his head turning slightly in each direction as he surveyed the surrounding area, his pale blue eyes narrowed. The scar on his left cheek more prominent then ever it seemed. "In that month, I've watched my dad die, found out everything I knew and believed in was a lie. And now the girl of my dreams has just said she never wants to see me again…The American dream huh?"

Cross still didn't know what to say, and the wanderer simply continued. "I did everything to help make this wasteland a better place. Saved Megaton from that bomb…Saved that village from those blood sucking nuts…To many times I did my best to save the people trying to survive out here…" He paused for a moment, a hand idly tugging a beat up pistol from the holster on his belt.

The same pistol Amata had given him the day he left the vault and stumbled out into this nightmare. "And in return, lost everything I cared about. I didn't ask for rewards, or praise, just tried to help people survive…And this is the thanks I get."

Silence descended once again as he examined the pistol. Paladin Cross half watched, and waited for the wanderer to turn the gun on himself. She understood how he felt, though at the same time, she wasn't about to let him throw his life away just like that either.

"Fuck it. I'm through playing peacekeeper for a wasteland that only takes away, I'm through playing nice."

"Rogue…You don't mean that." Cross stated calmly, she knew his name, having been there during there original expedition to the wasteland. Though for some reason he refused to use his real name, and instead always told everyone a nickname, and wouldn't respond to anything else.

"Maybe I don't…Maybe I do…Only time will tell." The Wanderer slowly stood, the pistol still held in a loose grip as he examined it for a moment longer. "Only time will tell." He repeated, before tossing it into the sand and turning away. "For now, we've got a job to do." Without another word, he snatched his helmet and set off into the desert once more. Cross, reluctantly following close behind. The only thing on her mind, was what had happened down there, to cause such a sudden change in his personality.


	2. Chapter 2

Not sure I'm happy with how this turned out. But eh, i seem to be overly critical of my work. So I hope its as good as the first.

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You've lost Karma: Chapter 2

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"This just, repeats…But there's no words, no automated messages, that I can pick up anyway…Why broadcast static and noise?" Rogue growled as he toyed with the computer strapped to his wrist. Normally he had it tuned to GNR, Three-dog was about the only thing worth listening to out here, and unless there was a good reason, he needed something to stop him going mad during the long hikes across the desert.

Paladin Cross stood along side him, exhaustion and annoyance present in her features, though hidden behind her helmet as she watched him try to do, something involving the strange, garbled message. "Give it up. You've been at it for two and a half hours now…" She said quietly. A faint stab of concern evident, though carefully masked. Since the incident with Vault 101. He'd stopped looking for the components to finish his parent's project. And instead was simply wandering, doing whatever the hell he chose it seemed.

They had been heading for a Museum, or something of that nature. Cross hadn't been there at the time. But apparently someone was paying the Wanderer handsomely to retrieve a document of some type from within.

At least, that was the plan, until the message had started transmitting. And now Rogue was obsessing over it. "No, no listen…" He adjusted one of the dials, and the sound grew louder, and also caused the woman to cringe slightly as the static hurt her ears. "Hear it, behind the static?"

It took her a few seconds, but sure enough, even she couldn't ignore the strange sounds that were masked behind it. "Not a voice. Maybe its robots or something…" She shrugged slightly, before abruptly flipping another switch and silencing the sound. "It's weak here. With a little work…I could get us a direction, maybe track it down…"

Sighing heavily, she gave up trying to distract him away from it, and instead tried to steer the teenager back to their original goal. "Worry about the document first. Then we can track you're signal." She wouldn't force him to do, or not do, anything, least not until it was the only option.

"Yeah, that declaration isn't going to retrieve itself." He muttered, his arm dropping to his side as he set off once again, the dull crunching of rocks and rubble being the only thing that broke the silence.

Cross studied the power armoured teen for a long moment, before shaking her head and falling into step behind him.

Since the incident with Amata. He hadn't been the same. For the first two days after, he simply refused to talk to anyone. Hell, when they'd briefly stopped in Megaton, he pulled a pistol on Lucy when she simply said hello.

By the third day, he seemed back to normal, almost suddenly. Though now he seemed as though he couldn't care less about Project Purity, and in turn anything to do with his family or past.

The woman refused to say anything though. Maybe this was his way of dealing with the pain, just push it aside and act as though it didn't exist. She intended to give him a few days to sort his emotions out. Then she would have to start nudging him int eh right direction. For the sake of the Wasteland, the Brotherhood of Steel, hell the entire world perhaps. This, Project Purity, if it was what the rumours clamed it to be, couldn't be put on hold.

"Were still about three miles away…And it'll be dark soon." Rogue commented, his gaze shifting slightly to study the sun as best he could as it began to sink out of sight. "Probably best we find somewhere safe for the night…" He was used to travelling day and night. But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling, that something was wrong. And he wasn't about to risk there necks with exhaustion and poor eyesight if his hunch was right.

In the end, they found a deserted house to spend the night in. IT was partly ruined, and only a single, but luckily large living room was intact, the rest was to badly damaged to make use of. "Not much, but it'll work for the night." Cross commented as she dropped the pack she'd been carrying on one of the chairs.

"Yeah…" Was the only response she received, the wanderer's gaze being focused on the window as he peered out into the darkness, before he drew the dusty curtains closed. "Though I'd hardly call it…Safe." He couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone. He never really lost that feeling. But now it was more then just a slight tingle in the back of his neck. Now it was a icy grip on his senses. That wouldn't let go. "Get some rest. I don't know how long we'll have this place for."

The night passed relatively quickly, surprisingly nothing did present itself to the wanderer and his companion. Much to his disappointment, he'd been looking forward to putting his assault rifle to use.

Sighing heavily, he noted the sun was beginning to shed its light over the desert. He'd been up all night. "Damn it." A hand moved to his eyes as the other slung the rifle over one shoulder. "Time to go." He muttered, louder then his earlier comment. "Cross." His gaze shifted to the paladin for a moment, before moving back to the window.

He didn't need to watch her to know she was awake, like everyone out here, Cross was a light sleeper. "Thought we were taking shifts. You didn't wake me once all night." He heard the woman respond after a few moments. Causing him to sigh heavily.

"You need it more then me. So stop complaining." That was a lie, but Rogue didn't care. This was the third night running he'd stayed up the whole night, beneath his helmet, he knew it showed. But sleep was something he couldn't risk right now. Nightmares and, worse came when he was sleeping.

"Turns out were closer then I thought. Should hit the museum in about an hour or two at his pace." He said after a few moments of silence, his hands busy unclipping the helmet both protecting, and hiding, his face.

"And then what? Chances are Super Mutants and ghouls infest the area." He heard her demand as he set the helmet down and began toying with the cap on a Nuka-Cola bottle.

Once it was open, he down a mouthful of the partly radioactive substance and sighed. It wasn't enough to be deemed lethal, but it would still do damage to his body if he drank too much. Not that he was thinking about that, rather he was more focused on the fact that it would give him a energy hit and wake him up a bit. "If there going to get in our way, we kill them. Simple." He responded slowly before pausing to swallow another mouthful of the cola. "Since when do a few mutants bother you? Normally you're more eager to kill then I am."

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That achieved the goal he'd been looking for. Cross didn't respond, rather fell silent and simply began adjusting her armour. She wasn't a murderer by far. But she was a typical Brotherhood soldier. IE: she killed anything that threatened there well being. "Now unless you have any other complaints, I suggest we get moving."

A few twists and turns later, and they'd finally reached the museum, or rather the general area of it. They still had a long way to go yet, but luckily it wasn't far now.

They'd also been lucky enough to avoid the Super Mutants prowling the streets. Much as Rogue wanted to deal with them for good, they were outnumbered and outgunned. And even he had the common sense not to push his luck too far.

"Just around the comer." He whispered, as he spared his pip-boy another glance. According to the map Washington had given him, this was the right place.

He stopped at the corner of the ruined wall they'd been using for cover, and carefully shifted to peer around it. "Mutants," He hissed back to Cross, a hand straying to the rifles on his back. "Lots of them."

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"What's the plan?" The paladin whispered her back arching slightly as she lifted up just enough to peer over the wall. Unlike him, she had one of the Enclaves more advanced power helmets. Looted off a dead soldier and in turn repaired enough for field work. The improved optics allowing her to see more clearly then he could. "Heavily armed, not going to be easy."

"Stay here…I'll get across the street and draw there attention." He paused as his hand found the but of the second weapon he carried, a old leaver action rifle, it wasn't perfect but it got the job done. "Once there focused on me, make a run for the Museum and get inside."

"Wait' Rogue paused when he felt Cross grab his wrist. "Are you sure this is the best ide-" She was cut short by a new voice. And both companions felt there blood run cold.

"You're listening to GNR radio. This is Three-Dog!" Uttering several colourful curses. The wanderer lashed out with his free hand and pushed the paladin backwards, a second later the wall between them exploded in a cloud of dust as bullets struck the concrete. "MOVE!" He snapped, before stumbling to his feet and breaking into a jog towards the open street that lay a few feet away. It wasn't the best plan, and his armour slowed him down, but it was his radio that had tipped them off. Sure it was Cross that hit the switch, but it was his pip boy that was making the noise.

Sure enough, the sudden movement drew the mutants attention, and he heard and felt several rounds ping off his armour. Luckily the suit was enough to protect him. Though how long it would last before something happened, he couldn't say.

Assuming the paladin was following orders, he staggered slightly as a bullet struck his leg and spun to face their attackers. "That's right." He muttered as he pulled the slide back on his rifle and fired the first round towards the first flash of armour he saw. It was a wild shot and he doubted it would hit, or even do any damage. But it kept them on him.

As he paused to pull the slide back again, he heard a dull clunk, followed by a loud boom. He barely had time to notice anything before the blast knocked him off his feet.

Coughing from a combination of hitting the pavement, and the dust that was seeping through his breather, the wandered lifted his head slightly, the ominous thumping of footsteps telling him he had to move.

Blinking stupidly, he finally realized what had caused the explosion, his gaze falling upon one of the mutants that was reloading a missile launcher. "Damn it. Not good!" He cursed again as he rolled onto his hands and knees, then pulled himself upright and started running once again. Assault rifles were one thing, but missiles were another, his armour wouldn't take that kind of abuse.

Rogue found another patch of wall and skidded to a halt, his back slamming hard into it and causing him to wince, but he had bigger things to worry about. He pulled the slide back on his rifle again, and felt his heart skip a beat when he snapped forwards upon letting go. "No, I didn't use that much!" Two shots at best, he couldn't be out. He dragged the slide back a second time, this time it clicked and stayed in place. A sigh of relief reached his lips, but was cut short when a loud roar, followed by a fist slamming into the wall next to his head, cut it short and forced him into motion once again.

Ducking slightly he just barely avoided the wild swing of the steel pipe the mutant was wielding. Without pause, he shifted his rifle upwards and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck its shoulder, and caused the beast to stumble, but it recovered a instant later and swung at him again.

This time he was to slow, and a loud clang left his ears ringing, and a noticeably dent in the side of his helmet.. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, and the wanderer cringed as what was unmistakably blood entered his mouth.

He was lucky though, somehow he didn't black out from the impact, and despite being partly blinded by the blow, he managed to back out of reach of the mutant long enough to fumble with and finally pulled the slide back on his weapon, this time the bullet didn't miss, and the mutants head exploded in a shower of blood and bone.

Even as its body collapsed into a heap, Rogue simply spun on his heel and started running, well more accurately, limping towards what he hoped was cover. His vision was still hazy from the concussion and everything was swimming in and out of focus.

Another explosion rocked the street and he stumbled, a second later his feet slipped out from under him and the wandered soon hit the ground again, harder then before. "Damn it!" He moaned as he struggled to stand. The super mutants were right behind him, he didn't need to look to know that.

Knowing it was a bad idea, but choosing to do it anyway, the wandered ripped his helmet off and tossed it to one side, the optics were screwed. Though his eyes weren't much better. And the damage to the helmet wasn't going to help him fight any better then if he ditched it.

Twice he tried to stand, and only ended up falling back down again. By this point, the thudding of his heart in his ears had been joined by heavy footsteps and deep guttural voices that barked orders as the mutants closed in. "Get up you lazy bastard…Get up." He murmured quietly to himself as he managed to roll onto his back, one hand sliding across the ground next to him in search of his rifle that had gone missing when he fell.

From his new position, he could see two of them closing in, one was revving up a minigun, the other had a hunting rifle aimed squarely at his chest. Panting quietly, he knew there would be no way out of this. Shoot one, the other would finish the job.

Rogue watched, somewhat patiently as the rifle armed mutant's finger began to squeeze the trigger.

A second later, his head snapped backwards, and the shot went wide and struck the ground an inch from the wanderers head.

Ignoring the ringing in his ears from the narrow miss. He rolled to one side as minigun rounds ripped through the building a few yards away. Obviously someone was watching out for him, he didn't have time to check who though.

The roll resulted in his hand briefly connecting with his rifle, and he wasted no time hauling it up to his shoulder. Without hesitation, he fired, the first round struck the monster in the throat, and it stopped firing to clutch at the wound.

Knowing it wouldn't be enough. He chambered, and fired another round, this one going right through the beast's eye and finishing the job.

Now he was panting heavily, his gaze shifted slightly, and eventually he angled his head backwards and gained an upside down view of the building that had been ripped apart by the super mutant's heavy weapon.

It was only for an instant, but he caught sight of something silver moving out of sight. "Cross…" He smiled slightly, before noting the silence. There was still one more of the bastards out there. One more, and he'd be the hardest to bring down.

It took a good minute and a half to pull himself back up to his feet. A armoured hand moved to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and he noted the partly rusted silver gauntlet came away red and slick with blood. "Going to be feeling this in the morning." He muttered grimly, before slinging his rifle back over his shoulder.

"Got to, keep moving." Damn, he really needed to stop talking to himself..

Fumbling about in his packs, he found a stimpack and swiftly plunged the needle into his neck. After a few seconds, he felt a rush of renewed energy, a content sigh escaped his lips as he tossed the spent injector aside. He had to be careful with those. To many and he might end up doing more harm then good.

Wiping the blood from his face as best he could, he sunk into a crouch and set off towards the museum once again. "Nice shooting Cross." He commented to the empty and quiet street. He doubted the paladin was anywhere near him. But then again he'd probably not say it to her face either.

Turning a corner, he halted as the building they'd been fighting so hard to reach finally came into view. And the enemy that had been guarding it, was nowhere in sight.

"Where did he get to?" Rogue said warily, his hand straying towards the handle of his gun once again. A super mutant with a missile launcher, was not something you wanted out of you're sight.

His gaze shifted rapidly back and forth along the street. Though the mutant was, for the first time, smart. At least smart enough to hide when the fight wasn't in his favour.

It was then, Rogue noted with a growl that his radio was still on, and made the mistake of shifting is gaze away from the ruins to find the off switch.

"Get down!" A voice suddenly snapped in his ear, causing the wanderer to jump. Then grunt when something heavy slammed into his side.

He had enough time to register it being a familiar power armoured figure. Before another explosion tore up the street, and everything went black.

"-Was seen entering Vault 101. And leaving it again for parts unknown a few hours later." Rogue stirred slightly, the first thing he heard was Three-Dogs voice in his ears. Followed by a lance of pain in the back of his skull. Right now he felt like a Nuka-Cola truck had run him over.

A loud beeping sound soon broke into his pain filled return from the land of sleep. Forcing his eyes to open, the first thing he saw was simple darkness, closely followed by the faintest hints of light filtering through the clouds.

Obviously he'd been out a few hours. Though he had bigger things to worry about. Namely the lack of feeling in everything below his waist.

The beeping grew steadily more urgent and louder in pitch. And after what felt like an hour of staring up at the sky, he traced the sound back to his pip-boy, and shakily lifted his arm to see the display.

How he managed that much, he couldn't say, his arms felt heavier then before, like lead.

Upon seeing the readout, he wasn't surprised by the news, and a long groan escaped him as the image of his own physical condition snapped on.

Both legs were listed as crippled, he didn't even want to look and see for himself. Right arm was broken in three places. And he had a serious head injury. "And what's the bad news?" He asked sarcastically as his still working hand fell away to find another stimpack. It was his only hope for survival at this point. Even the mild mutation he'd suffered while helping Moira with that damned book wouldn't be enough to pull him out of this before it was too late.

After several, agonizing minutes, he finally found the stim and jabbed it into his neck. The pain began to subside, but he knew that without a doctor looking him over, the drugs would only last so long, and then he'd have to take another, or probably be right back where he started, or worse off then before.

Once the pain subsided enough, Rogue hauled himself back to his feet, and groaned at the revelation that his right leg wouldn't support his weight properly. "Guess I took that missile head on." He muttered quietly, before wincing as he remembered the events leading up to this point. "Cross…Thanks for saving my neck."

When the paladin didn't respond, he sighed heavily; she must have thought him dead and kept going.

Glancing about the empty and suspiciously quiet street, he focused his attention on the museum and after a moment, set off once again, his pace much slower then before thanks to his injured leg.

"I really hope she's got some more stims on her…" Rogue sighed heavily, a mental checklist reminding him that the one he'd used a second ago had been the last one he had. "Just perfect."

He took another step forwards, and cringed when his foot struck something solid and in turn caused a fresh flare of pain to rush up his side.

Growling in frustration, he glanced down with the intention to kick it out of his way. Only to hesitate when he spotted the beat up Enclave helmet.

Ignoring his protesting body, he sunk to one knee and gently picked up the ruined object. Blood stained and battered, it wouldn't be much use for him. "What the hell would the encla-" His words trailed off as she adjusted it slight and focused on the small symbol painted onto the side of it. Almost unrecognizable thanks to the damages. But still visible enough to pick out the Brotherhood of Steel icon that he'd placed there himself.

"Cross…" His gaze snapped up and focused on the street again. "Cross!" This couldn't be happening. "CROSS!"

Tossing the battered helmet aside, he broke into a awkward jog towards the building they'd been trying to reach. If anywhere, that's where the paladin would be.

Though with each passing second, the hope of finding his companion grew slimmer. Surely if she was still alive, she'd have stuck around and helped him, right?

Upon reaching the museum, the Wanderer simply shoved the door open and stumbled inside. "Cross! Where the fuck are you!" Rogue snapped, his injury's masked behind rage at being abandoned. "Cross!"

Silence followed, and his voice grew weaker. "Cross…" Somehow, he managed to find a sofa, and dropped his suddenly tired body onto it. The ominous creaking of wood going unnoticed. "Damn it…!" He cursed, his hands moving to support his head as the weight of the situation finally sunk in. She was dead, there was no doubt about it now. He was alone.

Everyone was dead…

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A faint bang caused the armoured figure to stir slightly, though it took three more before he finally woke and pulled himself off the sofa. "What?" He didn't know at what point he'd dozed off, probably somewhere between the first wave of tears, and the second time he'd thought about putting a bullet through his head.

Shaking off the aches and pains that still slowed him down, he snatched his weapon off the floor and ended up using it as a walking stick to keep him upright as he followed the source of the gunshots.

Eventually he was led into a rather expansive room. His gaze shifted upwards slightly, and he noted the dim light didn't reach the ceiling. The place must have been huge. Focusing on the room, he noted several filing cabinets and bookcases had been knocked over, making makeshift cover. Along with pieces of concret he assumed was ripped out of the wall or roof.

As he moved further in, the dull crunching of paper beneath his feet went unnoticed. A faint stab of hope entered his mind as he noted the dead super mutants scattered about the place.

Maybe Cross had survived!

He carefully picked his way through the scattered bodies and cover, his gaze sweeping the room for signs of his missing friend.

Creeping around another bookcase, he noted a computer set up on a table along with a barricade set up around it. Curious, the wanderer moved closer, the fact that someone had obviously been defending the place all this time forgotten for the moment.

"Hold it!" Rogue froze, the distinct click of a weapon being readied behind him accompanied the voice. It wasn't a voice he recognized. "You're not one of those mutants, so who the hell are you?" The only thing he could take comfort in, was that it was female, and didn't have the same deepness the super mutant's voices had…


	3. Chapter 3

((Hmm, being overly critical again perhaps, or this chapter isn't as good as the last ones . Either way, i decided to break the muesem up into two parts. Maybe not the wises course of action, but anyone who reads my story's is probably used to unwise actions by now XD Anyway, hope you enjoy.))

You've lost Karma: Chapter 3

Rogue hesitated for a long moment, before slowly turning to face whoever had gotten the drop on him.

He was pleasantly surprised to come face to face with a young woman. She didn't look much older then him, maybe a couple of years at most. Though he didn't have much time to dwell on that, considering she had a gun of some description aimed at his head. "Either the mutants are getting prettier, or I'm guessing this," He nodded slightly to the scattered bodies. "Is you're handy work?" He commented somewhat sarcastically, right now he didn't care if she pulled the trigger or not.

The woman's eyes were focused on his armour, and he would have smirked at the hint of recognition in her eyes. "What's a Brotherhood soldier doing out here alone?" That killed his mild stroke of joy at finding another, human.

"I wasn't alone…My companion's outside, probably in about three different places." Rogue said bitterly, the memory was still hazy, but he remembered enough to guess Cross had taken the missile pretty much directly. "And for another, I'm not Brotherhood. I just, liberated a suit off one of there soldiers…Not like he was using it anymore." He kept his hands within sight, one by his head, the other keeping his rifle upright and in a supporting position so he didn't collapse.

Luckily, she lowered her weapon after a few moments of thought, letting him relax as well. "I see. And what exactly brought you out here?" He could tell by the way she gripped her weapon, that she was still contemplating running him through, but he'd managed to avoid a bullet to the head, so far.

"I was hired to retrieve something…A document…" He said slowly, hoping to avoid mentioning the reward, and in turn hoping to avoid revealing what exactly he was looking for.

"Let me guess…The Declaration of independence right?" She asked, a smile formed as she lowered the weapon fully. "Washington sent you too huh?" Despite his best attempts to avoid it, Rogue's jaw dropped open. How the hell did she guess that?

"He sent me too…" She explained before he could clear his head enough to ask. "The security's harder to work through then I thought however…" Snapping his mouth shut, the wanderer sighed heavily, of course nothing was ever easy was it.

That said, if they both wanted the same thing…"Maybe we can work together." He offered, his gaze briefly shifting behind him. Assured that something was there, he slowly eased himself down onto the cabinet and rested his chin against the handle of his rifle. "I'm good with computers."

Stretching his legs out, the wanderer winced as a flash of pain rushed through his body. "Before you answer…Please tell me you have a stim or two I can borrow? My legs are screwed…"

She paused for a moment, before nodding slightly. "Certainly would make things easier. Two heads are better then one and all that I guess." She muttered as she found and tossed Rogue a spare stim, which he wasted no time jabbing into his neck. "Split the reward fifty fifty?" She asked once he was done, a hand extending for him to shake.

"Depends...What's stopping me from shooting you and grabbing the declaration?" He offered a smirk, before accepting the offered hand with his own.

"Guess we'll just have to trust each other huh? Or pray were faster on the trigger then the other?" They shared a slight nod. It was tenuous at best, but it was a deal.

"So, might I know the name of my, partner?" Forcing himself back onto his feet, he was pleased to find they actually supported his weight now. Least he wouldn't slow her down.

"Sydney." She responded her attention shifting to the obviously hand crafted weapon she was using. "And you?"

"Rogue…So, what's the plan from here? He assumed that, if she was having trouble, then she likely had some idea on where they needed to go.

"Well, I have a co-" A loud crash cut her off, and before he could even blink, Sydney was ducking behind a overturned table. "More of them! Get down!"

He didn't need a second warning, without pause, and with much protesting from his legs, he ducked behind a bookcase and shifted his gaze to the dor he'd entered from a few minutes ago.

The savage and primitive voices he had long associated with the super mutants soon echoed down the corridor and caught his attention. "Great…" He groaned, the grip on his rifle tightening as he waited for them to come within sight. A quick glance revealed Sydney to be in a similar position a short distance away.

Rogue's gaze snapped back to the door, and he instinctively ducked further behind the bookcase as the first mutant made it's way into the room, two more close behind. The leader had a minigun, the others assault rifles. This wouldn't end well.

Before he could even aim properly, a burst of gunfire form across the room struck the leader square in the chest, causing him to stumble back, but not enough to finish the job.

Cursing quietly as the mutant's gun began to spin. He pushed himself up into a crouch and fired one, then two shots. The first struck the monster in the neck, the second went straight through it's left eye. A volley of bullets ripped through the wall and ceiling as it died, it's hand still firmly clamped down on the trigger.

Shifting his aim, he was about to pick off the second, when another burst of fire ripped through the ammo belt slung across it's chest, and he guessed Sydney struck a grenade, for a second later a loud boom shook the room, and the upper half of the mutant was turned into a bloodied mess on the floor.

The third managed to spot Rogue however, and he was forced to duck as the bookcase he was using for cover was turned into a health hazard, as splinters and pieces of wood exploded out the back and towards him. Luckily his armour was able to absorb the worst of the shrapnel, though he still felt a shard or two slip through the cracks and strike his flesh.

Ignoring that for now, the wanderer simply pressed himself flat to the floor and waited for a lapse in the shooting. Which, unsurprisingly came in the form of his new partner shredding the mutant its face with her assault rifle.

Once he was sure they were dead, Rogue slowly picked himself up and sighed heavily. "Where the hell are those ugly bastards coming from?" He hissed, a hand moving to check where the shards of wood had struck him. The wounds weren't bad, but out here in the wasteland, it was best he get them removed as soon as possible.

He didn't have time to do so however, as the sound of another wave of super mutants rushing their position made him duck once again. "More!" He called out to Sydney, before he shifted back into position. How many rounds had he fired?

Before he could recount. Another wave of mutants entered the room, the first clutched something in its hand, though it's massive fist completely covered whatever it was. The second wielded a hammer, the head of which was easily double the size of Rogue's head. "Oh crap…" He didn't pay any attention to the other two, he didn't have a chance.

With a roar the hammer armed one charged straight for him. Unable to think of a better plan, he simply started firing. One shot, two, three, and then a loud click filled in for the lack of a bang.

The wanderers eyes widened. "Shit, shit shit!" He cursed, before springing to his feet and breaking into a run in whatever direction wasn't occupied by a hammer holding monster.

The sound of wood cracking confirmed the mutant was right behind him. Though he was entirely focused on slamming fresh rounds into his rifle. "Come on, come on!" Finally the last bullet slid home and he snapped the slide back.

Skidding to a halt, he spun around to face the mutant, only to almost lose his grip on his weapon when he discovered it was only a few steps away. Gritting his teeth, he shouldered his rifle and pulled the trigger, slid the hammer back into place and fired again.

The first shot struck it in the chest, doing nothing, the second in the shoulder, causing it to stumble and slow, but it didn't stop the hulking mutant.

A second later, the hammer slammed into his side and sent the wanderer tumbling sideways into a cabinet. Both swiftly ended up on the ground in a heap. Thankfully the power armour absorbed most of the blow. Though that didn't mean he wasn't uninjured.

Gasping for breath, Rogue stumbled back to his feet and shook off the disorientation that had gripped him. Before bringing his rifle up once again. He fired till the gun was empty once more, but still the mutant kept coming.

Dropping the now spent rifle, he made to grab the old assault rifle slung across his back, and failed to find it.

Luckily the bullets had slowed the super mutant, and a quick glance confirmed the missing weapon was laying a few feet away, the hammer blow having dislodged it somehow.

Another explosion shook the room, causing both the mutant and Rogue to stop short and glance about somewhat stupidly. Sydney's cover, and the area around it, was now a charred crater.

A brief flash of movement caught Rogue's eye, and he managed a sigh of relief upon seeing Sydney ducking behind a different spot of cover. Thank god.

Pushing that from his mind, he shifted his attention back to the mutant. And promptly ducked as it swung its hammer towards his head, a loud thud, followed by pieces of shattered stone rained down on him as the wanderer leapt to one side and started running for the assault rifle.

Knowing it wouldn't be long till either the mutant caught up, or one of the others took notice, he didn't stop running, instead he made a mad grab for the gun as he sprinted past, his hand just barely closing around the barrel.

Without pause he swept it up to his shoulder and spun on his heel to face the mutant once again. It was still a fair distance away. He'd missed it, but the wild swing had left the hammer stuck fast in the wall for a brief time.

Aiming as best he could, Rogue squeezed the trigger, and winced slightly at the recoil, he rarely used automatic weapons. And as the first handful of bullets struck it in the face, and the rest hit the wall above its head. He was reminded of why…

Glancing about the room, he was more then a little surprised at the lack of enemy's. Only one mutant remained, a hunting rifle in hand as it fired at where he presumed Sydney was hiding.

A quick burst from his weapon put it down. "That…All of em?" He asked, a hand straying to his ribs as the pain of the earlier impact settled in. "Going to feel that come morning…"

"Yeah, that's all of them I think." Sydney soon popped into view once again, a bloody gash on her forehead confirming she hadn't gotten away free and clear either.

Instinct briefly took hold, and the wanderer shrugged his pack off and slipped a roll of bandages from one of the side pouches and tossed it towards the woman. "Patch yourself up. We got work to do."

"Now then, what's our next move?" He asked, not giving her a chance to even catch her breath.

"As I was saying before the interruption. There's a computer over there. I've got the access codes to get us into the vault. But after that were going to have to fight through the security to grab the declaration." She was busy patching up her head, so Rogue set to work booting the computer up. "Still works thankfully…Okay, and…Done, what's the code?"

Upon receiving it, he finished the job and nodded as confirmation popped up on the screen. "Done, elevator unlocked, though security bots are still active like you said, can't shut them down from here…Blast!" Pausing long enough to snatch up his rifle, the wanderer focused on his partner once again. "And what kind of security are we looking at?"

"Hell if I know. Bots mostly, maybe we can shut them down from another terminal. You seem to hack that one pretty easily." She paused for a moment, before shrugging slightly and moving towards the door. "Come on! The longer we stand around, the more mutants are going to stumble across us!"

Before he could even blink, she was gone. "Oh great…Someone who's more eager to get killed then I am…" He groaned, before snatching up his rifle and breaking into a jog. "Wait up!"


	4. Not dead yet

Hey all (If anyone's still reading this of course lol)

I apologize for the long delay and lack of updates on my fictions. I'd rather not bore anyone with the details. But sadly as I've mentioned before, I tend to be quite critical of my work. And every attempt to write a new chapter ends badly on my part.

That said, I just wanted to let anyone still reading my story's know that I'm not dead yet and I haven't given up. Just having trouble getting the next chapter typed up. I will do my best to get something done soon however. No promises on when that'll be.


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